Mystical Traditions

Despite the presence of six different religions in the world, studies have shown that these religions revolve around similar teachings. These mystical traditions include the three Abrahamic religions which encompass Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and the three Eastern religions under which Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism belong. Several teachings are common among these religions, despite existing in various forms and despite being recognized by different names.

The first teaching is the collective agreement by all mystics from all the mystical traditions that the Ultimate reality, whether known as God, Buddha, Allah or Brahman, cannot be expressed in words nor can it be grasped by the human mind.

The second teaching which is shared by most mystical traditions is the recognition of the ultimate Reality as non-dual. This refers to the ‘Oneness’ of things, despite the duality that is thought to be created once a thing is named. This is reason why the Ultimate Reality cannot be grasped by the human mind or expressed in words because naming an entity results to distinction and thus to duality, the separation of that entity from the rest of the world.

The attempt to name this ultimate reality is another teaching shared by the mystical traditions. Words are still being utilized to refer to the Ultimate Reality which is essentially beyond words. Perhaps one of the most important teachings shared by the great mystic traditions states that the belief in the distinction between the self and the world is the main cause of human suffering. The separation between the “I” and the “other” is essentially the fundamental dysfunction of the human mind.

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